Myke
05-01-2020, 11:24 PM
One of the problems we Canadians encounter when restoring any type of vehicle is the value of the Canadian dollar verses the strength of the USD, and then the astronomical Customs and Brokerage charges to import parts into Canada from the US, especially via ebay. Case in point are 16 pieces of rubber that form part of the body mounts. They list on ebay for $189.99 USD. Converted to Canadian dollars that is $263.89. It gets worse. The shipping to Canada...is 66 USD, or 93 Canadian dollars...for a total of $356.47 Canadian for 16 pieces of rubber smaller than hockey pucks. Wait now...that doesn't consider the import fees and taxes that will be levied by Canada Customs when it arrives...so these rubber bushings will cost over $400 dollars if I ordered them through ebay.
What's a Canadian to do? Well...we do what we always do. When I was in the Canadian Forces, we were trained to adapt and overcome to any given situation, and to improvise wherever possible. So, I will share the success story of Canadian improvisation with my fellow Continental restorers.
The durometer of most body mounts is between 70 and 95 (Shore A). There are lower numbers, but they would compress rather quickly by hand. Now a hockey puck is an unforgiving thing with very little flex in it. It likely has a durometer of about 100. Having been hit in the head with one as a younger man and waking up on a stretcher whilst having my right ear sewn back on in full hockey gear tells me there was more give to my skull than a hockey puck (especially a frozen one). While I have seen hockey pucks used in some body mount applications, I don't recommend it unless you want to feel every vibration the road has to offer.
Which brings me to a better idea. It cost me $18 dollars (Canadian) and the resultant effort was 18 body mounts produced in 10 minutes. The Canadian Body mount is something called a boat roller. They are the black rubber rollers used on boat trailers that allow your boat to roll effortlessly onto the trailer. Their durometer is between 80 and 95 (Shore A), and they already have the hole drilled in them. You simply measure out 3/4 inch slices, and you use a chop saw to slice off each body mount. The original body mounts were 1 3/4 outside diameter X 3/4 inside diameter X 3/4 inch thick. Simply get yourself a 1 3/4 boat roller, and a 3/4 inch drill bit to expand the 3/8 hole in the center, and start slicing your way to substantial financial savings.
What's a Canadian to do? Well...we do what we always do. When I was in the Canadian Forces, we were trained to adapt and overcome to any given situation, and to improvise wherever possible. So, I will share the success story of Canadian improvisation with my fellow Continental restorers.
The durometer of most body mounts is between 70 and 95 (Shore A). There are lower numbers, but they would compress rather quickly by hand. Now a hockey puck is an unforgiving thing with very little flex in it. It likely has a durometer of about 100. Having been hit in the head with one as a younger man and waking up on a stretcher whilst having my right ear sewn back on in full hockey gear tells me there was more give to my skull than a hockey puck (especially a frozen one). While I have seen hockey pucks used in some body mount applications, I don't recommend it unless you want to feel every vibration the road has to offer.
Which brings me to a better idea. It cost me $18 dollars (Canadian) and the resultant effort was 18 body mounts produced in 10 minutes. The Canadian Body mount is something called a boat roller. They are the black rubber rollers used on boat trailers that allow your boat to roll effortlessly onto the trailer. Their durometer is between 80 and 95 (Shore A), and they already have the hole drilled in them. You simply measure out 3/4 inch slices, and you use a chop saw to slice off each body mount. The original body mounts were 1 3/4 outside diameter X 3/4 inside diameter X 3/4 inch thick. Simply get yourself a 1 3/4 boat roller, and a 3/4 inch drill bit to expand the 3/8 hole in the center, and start slicing your way to substantial financial savings.